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Chris Kavanagh to referee Brentford v Burnley

Chris Kavanagh will take charge of the televised Friday night match between Brentford and Burnley in the SkyBet Championship at Griffin Park.

Man in the middle: Kavanagh’s last Championship game was at the AMEX Stadium on New Year’s Day when Wolves beat Brighton 1-0 (Picture from Sky Sports)

CHRIS Kavanagh has been confirmed as the referee for Friday’s televised SkyBet Championship clash between Brentford and Burnley (KO 19:45 GMT).

The 29-year-old, from Manchester, will take charge of his 12th Championship game of the season at Griffin Park.

He will be assisted by Robert Massey-Ellis (West Midlands) and Daniel Robathan (Surrey), while the fourth official will be Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire).

Kavanagh – who has been Manchester FA’s Referee Development Officer since 2011 – is now considered to be among the Talent Group of referees whose potential for promotion to the Premier League is being assessed.

Breakdown: Kavanagh’s games in 2015-16 so far (Picture from Transfermarkt)

The Lancashire-born official has sent off one player – QPR’s Leroy Fer in their November defeat at Middlesbrough – in 21 games across five competitions this term. He has also brandished 74 yellow cards and awarded three penalties.

It will be the first time Kavanagh encounters Burnley in his officiating career thus far but he was in the middle for Brentford’s 4-1 win over Huddersfield last March.

Kavanagh handled 29 games last term and was the fourth official for the FA Vase Final between Glossop North End and North Shields at Wembley Stadium.

Highly-rated: Kavanagh is in only his second season as a Football League referee (Picture from Sky Sports)

Despite only officiating eight second-tier matches in his debut season on the National List in 2014-15, his quiet and unassuming approach earned plaudits – and he is enjoying another consistent campaign in which he has been tested with a number of key games.

After dishing out 15 red cards in his two seasons in the Conference, Kavanagh has only issued three since his promotion.

Brentford – who sit 11th in the table, eight points behind the play-offs – have lost their last three games while fourth-placed Burnley are unbeaten in the last four matches.

Dean Smith’s side have not scored in their last two home games as Sean Dyche’s Clarets seek back-to-back away league wins for the first time this term.

On screen: Kavanagh will handle his seventh TV game of the season – six in the Championship and one FA Cup tie (Picture from Sky Sports)

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